There’s nothing better than getting a text from a long-lost friend asking you to come to brunch. However, there’s nothing harder than picking the perfect spot for the reunion. Our requirements were: cheap alcohol, decent food, large enough for an eight-top and preferably as far away from the UCI bike path as possible.

After a ton of debate, we ended up planning to meet at new Buddy’s around 12:30 PM. I was rather excited about this choice as I used to love old Buddy’s and have yet to make it to the new one.

The walk to Buddy’s was insanely close, which put me in a good mood even before I got there. Upon our arrival, it was almost jarring how not-divey new Buddy’s is. It was well-lit with a nice orange color wall paint, plus a really cool ceiling, which is a total contrast to old Buddy’s. The menu featured more brunch-like items than I remember, because from my somewhat shaky memory, I just remember eating buffalo chicken wraps there for brunch.

I was easily able to narrow down my choice to one of two options: the corned beef hash with potatoes or the carnitas omelet with tots. An honorable mention goes to the red velvet pancakes, but I wasn't ready for that amount of sugar. I relied on the expertise of my waitress to help select the corned beef hash as well as a pitcher of mimosa for my roommate and myself. She requested a bigger role in my blog posts since her dog gets more shoutouts than she does, so here we go. Her name is Lauren, and she’s a pretty awesome person to brunch with as well as to be friends with.

So anyway, we finish one pitcher of mimosa and order another. We eventually realize that we’re one of three tables in the restaurant and still haven’t gotten our food. Then we forget that notion and try to decide whether the bison head on the wall is real or not. Our waitress told us it was. So that settled that, but where was the food?

Oooops, there it is.

The plate touches down on the table in front of me, and I almost dig in before even snapping a picture. I guess drinking an entire pitcher of mimosa can do that to a person. Once I take a bite, I’m impressed with the hash and the potatoes. The Hollandaise sauce was not as tangy as other sauces I’ve had, but it almost works because the meat brings the flavor. I did run out of sauce, and then I had quite a few potatoes with no dressing, which usually bothers me. However, after a pitcher of mimosa, it wasn’t proving to slow down my fist to face motion very much.

I’m probably building no credibility here since I keep mentioning how much I drank, but that’s almost a good sign. Pitchers were like $12 and the food was $9, which ends up being quite a bargain in comparison to some of our other restaurant options. 

Since this seems one-sided, I can talk about the other dishes on the table too. Across from me was the brunch burger, which featured an egg. Ever since Jack Browns moved into Richmond, I find it difficult ordering burgers anywhere other than there, but this burger looked pretty damn good. Next to me, my roommate got the breakfast nachos. They looked ridiculously good, and upon trying them, I was a fan. She made a similar comment about the subtlety of the Hollandaise flavor. I tried a bite and couldn’t quite distinguish what I was eating. I want to think that I got a bite with eggs and cheese, but I don’t know if it was or not. Not helpful, I know. 

My recommendation for Buddy's is definitely check out the new place! Their menu looks pretty different, the building is vastly different, and the location has changed, but it’s the same name and reputation. Bring a crew and enjoy throwing back a few in a more well-lit hometown bar.